Guest column: You may want to make fights, but you don't want Joe Silva's job

Few men have had as much of an impact on the UFC and its wild success as outgoing matchmaker Joe Silva. As reports of his impending retirement began to surface this past week, I found myself thinking a lot about the man, his far-reaching contributions to the UFC, and his indelible legacy.

In a lot of ways, Joe was the lifeblood of the UFC. He approached the craft with his own flair, a measured ferocity, and, most importantly, a diligence that few can match.

I can’t recall it ever taking more than two minutes for him to return a text. He’d talk of obsessively clearing out his inbox so it forever read “no new messages.” You were never waiting on Joe Silva.

Jon Anik and Stephen Thompson

Now, if you know the nature of the beast, you don’t want his job. It’s round-the-clock managing of fighters and managers and their myriad requests and personalities. Time zones and language barriers. Untimely injuries and visa issues. USADA violations. Fighters missing weight.

You may want to make fights, but you don’t want his job.

But Joe was the best man to do the job, and he knew it. Joe is intellectually versatile, a rational thinker and absolutely fearless when it comes to challenging the status quo. He would consider the solutions presented by others, even when he knew his methodology or approach would be the right course of action. As the long-time manager of the UFC’s ever-changing roster, Joe was a picture of stability and reliability. And at the core, it seems it was his deep-rooted passion for martial arts, MMA and the UFC that kept him in the game so long. And the game is better for every day he spent in it.

For the past five years, I’ve had the chance to develop a real kinship with Joe. It sounds trite, but Joe could really light up the room with the best of ’em, yet he didn’t need to be the center of attention.

I will always cherish the announcer-matchmaker meetings we’d have before the live UFC events. He’d have a cheeseburger. Maybe mix in a club sandwich. Joe is a gifted communicator and storyteller and can chronicle the UFC’s early days like few others. He lived it. I learned something interesting every time we sat down. He would even give us valuable feedback on the broadcast – albeit selectively, so as to always be right on the money.

I’m sure there are things that Joe won’t miss about the UFC. But man are we gonna miss him – his child-like enthusiasm, his undeniably real reactions to seminal UFC moments, the economy of his in-octagon handshakes, his outright rejection of sweaty hugs from winning fighters. But most of all, I will miss the genuine excitement in his eyes on fight night, be it a big pay-per-view broadcast or sweating through his suit on the equator in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Joe will likely have to be strong-armed to show up at his own UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but that is undoubtedly where his future lies.

I rue the day not far from now when I look to my right at the broadcast position and Joe Silva isn’t there. But his love for the game endures, and you can be sure the greatest MMA matchmaker of all time will still be watching.